Shona Taine: Notes on Watchmaking

Shona Taine is the first woman to join the prestigious Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI).
She has crafted a debut piece, the Khemea, which combines traditional and futuristic elements.

The prevalent stereotype of a watchmaker is that of a middle-aged man in a white coat with a magnifying loupe.
The AHCI, a prestigious assembly of independent watchmakers, had 37 members, all male, with an average age of 59, until recently.

On April 6, the AHCI members voted to admit three new watchmakers: Anton Suhanov, Guo Ming, and Shona Taine.
Taine, at 27, is the youngest person and first woman ever to be offered membership.

Taine's debut watch, the Khemea, gained attention even before it was fully finished.
Philippe Dufour, Kari Voutilainen, and Sylvain Pinaud visited Taine and were convinced she merited a place on the candidate list.
David Candaux, an AHCI member, praised Taine's innovative approach and passion for watchmaking, highlighting her ability to merge tradition and innovation in the Khemea watch.

Taine was inspired by the astronomical clock in Prague during a childhood visit.
She grew up in Pontarlier, a French town near the Swiss border, and enrolled in a watchmaking school in Morteau at age 15.
The watchmaking course was a six-year program comprising three diplomas.
The class started with 45 students and ended with 15.
Taine initially wanted to study philosophy and literature but chose watchmaking for a hands-on profession.

Taine worked in a service workshop repairing Ebel chronograph watches, which she found boring.
She desired to learn and create many things, leading her to create her own company a day before her 22nd birthday.

Taine realized she lacked knowledge despite her six years of study, so she sought out watchmakers to learn from.
She worked in Olivier Mory's atelier, a supplier of tourbillon movements, where she created the Khemea.
The Khemea features a modified tourbillon, a moonphase display, a calendar, and a 100-hour power reserve.
The AHCI grandees were impressed by the Khemea, having been alerted by a fellow graduate of Taine's watchmaking school.

The Khemea combines traditional watch design elements with futuristic, biomorphic shapes.
Taine finds inspiration in nature, using floral and fluid shapes for the logo and movement components.
Several pieces of the Khemea were sold before Taine even finished making them.
She has rejected proposals to supercharge the business, preferring to grow at her own pace.
Taine self-financed through subcontracting work, with support from her parents, partner, and friends.

Taine balances business demands with teaching at her former watchmaking school.
She is in demand from educational foundations across the industry.
Her rising profile inspires younger generations, especially girls, to study watchmaking.
Taine acknowledges the interest in her story but doesn't want to be defined by her gender.
She notes that while there are women in the watch industry, they are rarely entrepreneurial or leading companies.
The gender balance in watchmaking classes is improving, now being fifty-fifty compared to when she was a student with only two girls in her class.